Driving gearing for washing machines and related supporting structure therefor



1939- E. J. PICKERELL DRIVING GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES AND RELATED SUPPORTING STRUCTURE THEREFOR Filed Sept. 2, 1937 17.1 Piclderell Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ernest J. Pickereli, Oskaloosa, Iowa Application September 2, 1937, Serial No. 162,199

1.Claim.

This invention relates to washing machines and particularly to means for supporting a gear case and a motor as a unit on the washing machine below the clothes receptacle thereof.

The object of the invention is to provide a very simple but effective means for supporting a driving gear and motor upon the legs of a washing machine which will permit the easy applicationof the driving gear and motor as a unit to any 10 one of a number of standard washing machines without changing or affecting the clothes receptacle or the clothes agitating means thereof.

A further object is to provide a supporting means of this character having few parts and 15 having an extremely simple structure.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompany ing drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gear casing motor, the gear case enclosing the driving mechanism, the lower portion of the washing machine being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is an underside plan view of the gear a 25 case and the supports therefor, the washing machine being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of the supporting means for the lower end of the agitator shaft.

In the drawing, l designates a gear case supported adjacent one end on an arcuate cross-bar l l and supported adjacent its other end on an approximately V-shaped brace l2. These braces at their ends are-formed with flanges [3 through which bolts it pass, as shown particularly in Fig. 3 for engagement with the hollow legs A of the washing machine, the skirt or apron of which is 40 designated B. The brace i2 carries upon it the transverse web l5 which supports the motor I6.

As will be seen from. Figure 2, the supporting bar II is formed of angle iron and is slightly arcuate. The supporting member I2 is also of 5 angle iron and is approximately V-shaped. The

V-shaped support l2 carries on it the platform I! upon which the motor It is mounted.

Extending downward from the bottom of the gear case are lugs l1, and bolts or screws l8 pass through these lugs and into or through the vertical flange of the angle iron support II, as shown clearly in Figure 2. Adjacent the opposite end 5 of the gear case is the downwardly extending post or hub 33 which is cut away at its lower end to accommodate the angle iron 12, as shown in Figure 4. This post is bolted to the angle iron by a bolt 34. The depending boss, hub or post 38 con- 10 stitutes a bearing for a shaft 35 which is the agitator shaft of the machine and is located approximately at the center of the washing machine, though it will be understood that it may be located at any other point. The shaft 31 having a handle 38 controls the speed of the machine by mechanism not forming any part of the present application and which is not shown. A shaft 29 is adapted to drive a wringer, not shown. The

motor It drives the driving shaft of the washing machine through the belt 23 and the pulley 22.

It will be seen that the gear case and motor are supported merely by the two supporting irons or bars II and I2 and that thus the gear case 2 and motor may be readily attached to standard makes of washing machines or readily detached therefrom.

What is claimed is:

In a washing machine having a receptacle, four legs supporting the same, and agitator driving mechanism disposed beneath the receptacle, a housing for said mechanism, said housing having a pair of depending lugs and a downwardly projecting post on its underside, and supporting means for said mechanism consisting of a substantially V-shaped brace disposed in a horizontal plane beneath the housing and having its ends secured to two adjacent legs whereby to dispose the apex portion at the vertical center of the 40 machine receptacle, means securing the lower end of said post to said apex portion and a bar disposed in the same plane as said brace and connecting the remaining two posts and having said lugs engaging thereagainst and secured thereto.

ERNEST J. PICKEREIL 

